Pam Lewison
Agriculture
Wolf management needs a regional strategy
With a daily hunting range of 30 miles or more, it is only a matter of time before wolves become a topic of conversation outside of livestock and conservation circles. Congress and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have several blueprints for the kind of predator management plan that makes ...
Business & Economics
Trade Wars Hurt Farmers
Before promising to impose tariffs on our nearest trade partners — Mexico and Canada — President Donald Trump told American farmers that they should get ready to sell more of their products domestically. The trouble with that optimism is that most farms are not corporate giants, but family operations that ...
Agriculture
Point Reyes settlement a tragic misstep
In rural areas it has recently come back in vogue to say, “Everyone wants to be a cowboy until it’s time to do cowboy stuff.” Infusions of cowboy hats, boots, and western wear in popular culture have been called the “Yellowstone effect.” Are you a Beth, a Casey, or a ...
Agriculture
Read a Christmas wish for California's farmers
A farmer’s ag policy Christmas wish
Early this year, the 2022 Census of Agriculture was released by the USDA. The data was alarming. California lost 7,387 farms in five years. That works out to be 1,477 farms and ranches a year; 28 a week; four a day. More staggering was the land in farms lost. Between ...
Agriculture
Senate panel forgets farmers in discussion about agriculture
This oversight was never clearer than in a recent panel hosted by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), named American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. According to a description of the panel, the discussion was meant to provide “a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over ...
Agriculture
County fairs incubators for our next leaders, business owners
The air at county fairs is rarified in the hours before the food booths and carnival rides are open to the public. People can view exhibits in the various buildings on fairgrounds but the real stars at that time of day are the livestock shows. Kids, parents, indeed whole families ...
Agriculture
Civil discourse in ag policy matters
When I was in high school, one of my classes did a section on debating. We approached some difficult topics. I daresay some topics that would not be broached in public schools today. There were some ground rules to these debates. Do your research. Be prepared to answer difficult questions. ...
Agriculture
Win-win for farmers, communities in Colorado River agreement
Films like How the West was Won, teach viewers conquering the West was, and still is, about taming the landscape and the people in it. However, the true winning of the West is about maintaining access to clean, fresh water. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the U.S. Bureau of ...
Agriculture
Capping food prices will not fix grocery bills
Since the beginning of COVID, there has been a great deal of discussion about the supply chain but there is still not widespread understanding of how complex the system is. In the case of the food supply chain, there are several stops between the farm gate and a consumer’s plate. ...
Wolf management needs a regional strategy
With a daily hunting range of 30 miles or more, it is only a matter of time before wolves become a topic of conversation outside of livestock and conservation circles. Congress and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have several blueprints for the kind of predator management plan that makes ...
Trade Wars Hurt Farmers
Before promising to impose tariffs on our nearest trade partners — Mexico and Canada — President Donald Trump told American farmers that they should get ready to sell more of their products domestically. The trouble with that optimism is that most farms are not corporate giants, but family operations that ...
Point Reyes settlement a tragic misstep
In rural areas it has recently come back in vogue to say, “Everyone wants to be a cowboy until it’s time to do cowboy stuff.” Infusions of cowboy hats, boots, and western wear in popular culture have been called the “Yellowstone effect.” Are you a Beth, a Casey, or a ...
Read a Christmas wish for California's farmers
A farmer’s ag policy Christmas wish
Early this year, the 2022 Census of Agriculture was released by the USDA. The data was alarming. California lost 7,387 farms in five years. That works out to be 1,477 farms and ranches a year; 28 a week; four a day. More staggering was the land in farms lost. Between ...
Senate panel forgets farmers in discussion about agriculture
This oversight was never clearer than in a recent panel hosted by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), named American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. According to a description of the panel, the discussion was meant to provide “a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over ...
County fairs incubators for our next leaders, business owners
The air at county fairs is rarified in the hours before the food booths and carnival rides are open to the public. People can view exhibits in the various buildings on fairgrounds but the real stars at that time of day are the livestock shows. Kids, parents, indeed whole families ...
Civil discourse in ag policy matters
When I was in high school, one of my classes did a section on debating. We approached some difficult topics. I daresay some topics that would not be broached in public schools today. There were some ground rules to these debates. Do your research. Be prepared to answer difficult questions. ...
Win-win for farmers, communities in Colorado River agreement
Films like How the West was Won, teach viewers conquering the West was, and still is, about taming the landscape and the people in it. However, the true winning of the West is about maintaining access to clean, fresh water. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the U.S. Bureau of ...
Capping food prices will not fix grocery bills
Since the beginning of COVID, there has been a great deal of discussion about the supply chain but there is still not widespread understanding of how complex the system is. In the case of the food supply chain, there are several stops between the farm gate and a consumer’s plate. ...
